“People really do care” — Vancouverite raises more than $3,000 for UNHCR in Ride for Refuge
Francis Fulton is among many Canadians who stood in solidarity with refugees by raising money and participating in Ride for Refuge. By Hannah Scott When Francis Fulton was rushing through a North Vancouver mall trying to run an errand between shifts, he didn’t think...
Hundreds of thousands in harm’s way in northern Syria
The escalation of conflict in northern Syria risks causing more human suffering and adding new displacement to what is already the largest displacement crisis in the world. Tens of thousands of civilians are on the move to escape the fighting and seek safety. UNHCR,...
Persecuted and uprooted, a young Yemeni finds safe haven in Canada
Mohammed arrived in Québec through Roxham Road, fleeing the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. By Emmanuelle Paciullo in Montreal, Canada “I was welcomed in Canada with much respect and dignity. I felt a strong emotion, a mixture of fear and relief – unsure what lay...
UNHCR aids thousands of Congolese refugees returning home from Angola
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Yaxley – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Thousands of Congolese refugees are returning from Angola to the Kasai region in the...
Once a dream, citizenship puts medical career within reach
University seemed like an impossible dream for 21-year-old Nazir, who was born stateless in Kyrgyzstan. Now he can finally study medicine. By Kate Bond in Osh, the Kyrgyz Republic In the shadow of her small, square clay brick house, Sanabar Khatamova hums softly as...
2019 Nansen Refugee Award ‘a symbol of hope’ for the world’s stateless
Lawyer Azizbek Ashurov spent over a decade helping the Kyrgyz Republic to resolve all known cases of statelessness in a historic first. By Kate Bond in Geneva, Switzerland A lawyer who spent over a decade championing the rights of more than 10,000 stateless people in...
After decades in the shadows, stateless activist says ‘finally I exist’
Actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett interviews statelessness activist Maha Mamo about her 30-year-push to belong. Activist Maha Mamo’s face lights up as she recalls the moment a year ago when Brazil granted her citizenship, ending her 30-year quest to...
‘Bigger, broader’ vision needed to tackle forced displacement – UN refugee chief
A more ambitious international approach is needed to address contemporary drivers of displacement, Filippo Grandi tells high-level meeting. GENEVA – A “bigger, broader” international response is needed to tackle global forced displacement in a world in which new...